Opposition to the End of Black History Thesis

In response to the controversial sermon given by his pastor and the racial remarks that followed him during his 2008 campaign, then Senator Barack Obama, was inherently forced into delivering a speech that would address the comments and prove to the American people that he did in fact shared their “American Dream” and was not an Anti-America charity case. Obama gave his famous “A More Perfect Union” speech in Philadelphia, where he seized the opportunity to address the controversy as an indication of a much larger issue, race relations in America and introduce his mission of moving the country toward “a more perfect union.” His speech often coined, “the Race Speech”, had several factors play into its success, one factor being the way the speech was delivered, his speech incorporated the jeremiad form and constitutive form of rhetoric, the use of those two forms helped Obama address the issue while at the same time creating an identity that would encompass all Americans who would then come together in this identity and work toward the solution of the race issue and providing the “American Dream” for everyone.

For many years, American Presidents were viewed as being white and powerful leaders. Why were they only white? Is it because Americans felt Blacks were not smart enough to run a country on their own? African Americans were viewed as less dominate people and have been discriminated because of the color of their skin. In 2008, Barack Obama was elected President of the United States making him the first black president ever. In this paper, I will discuss how Barack makes a change and if America can accept him as our first black president.

Throughout history, African Americans have encountered an overwhelming amount of obstacles for justice and equality. You can see instances of these obstacles especially during the 1800’s where there were various forms of segregation and racism such as the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan terrorism, Jim- Crow laws, voting restrictions. These negative forces asserted by societal racism were present both pre and post slavery. Although blacks were often seen as being a core foundation for the creation of society and what it is today, they never were given credit for their work although forced. This was due to the various laws and social morals that were sustained for over 100 years throughout the United States. However, what the world didn’t

Another trick Obama tends to utilize in his writing becomes clear when we notice finely shaped patterns among his usage of wording. “White and black, too black or not black enough, on the streets and in the courts;” all of these statements reference two polar opposite ideals. When Obama attempts to break apart the current system of society and explain the rights and wrongs behind it, he digs to a deeper level to make

The 2008 presidential election saw a significant increase in voter turnout among young people, Blacks and Hispanics. This helped with Obama’s political campaign, for he had a strong connection with minority groups and young voters. With the increase in voting for the Democratic party in 2008 by Blacks, Hispanics and young people, Barak Obama became the 44th president of the

In 2009, the turning point of change happened. This is when the first steps were taken to bring this country in line with what the constitution states “we the people’ occurred. Barack Obama was the first African American to become president.It was a triumph for all people when this happened, but especially for African Americans. According to NPR news article blog , "This is the first time, to me, that it truly represents 'we the people.' Finally, equal rights, not being judged on the color of your skin, but the character — that's what this whole thing means to me" (2008,1). The world at large would now see that anyone could really become president. The “America of we the People” could finally emerge and be

Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America on November 4, 2008. He was the first black man to be elected to office. Due to the Civil Rights Movement and abolishment of slavery, African Americans gained many new freedoms and possibilities. African Americans gained the right to vote, the right to get a quality education, and they were seen as equals to the whites. This all eventually lead to the election of Barack Obama.

After centuries of racial injustice and 43 white presidents, Obama enters office in the history making election. Racial barriers in the government fall as the last position in office to never have had an African American succeed it had seated Obama. In “Barack Obama to be America's first black president,” Ewen MacAskill, Suzanne Goldenberg, and Elana Schor report Obama’s win by a landslide in electoral votes with “338 electoral votes to McCain's 129.” With states so keen on Obama winning, the country has taken a huge step from racial oppression exhibited in Wright’s time. A big part of Obama’s victory was due to the blacks who voted as in the article, “Obama Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls,” Adam Nagourney states, “Mr. Obama benefited from a huge turnout of voters, but particularly among blacks. That group made up 13 percent of the electorate, according to surveys of people leaving the polls, compared with 11 percent in 2006.” Blacks have stepped up and made their voices heard through the votes in comparison to Wright’s time. Instead of writing about how blacks around him have submitted to an inferior position placed by whites, he would write about how they have joined together to place a black person in the highest position in government. It is an immense change from when blacks had to give into Jim Crow laws to

Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, sweeping away the last racial barrier in American politics with ease as the country chose him as its first black chief executive. The election of Mr. Obama amounted to a national catharsis- a repudiation of a historically unpopular Republican president and his economic and foreign policies, and an embrace of Mr. Obama’s call for a change in the direction and the tone of the country. But it was just as much a strikingly symbolic moment in the evolution of the nation’s fraught racial history, a breakthrough that would have seemed unthinkable just two years ago.

If I were to travel in time to 1950 and share the news that there would be a black president within the next century, chaos would arise. People then did not seem to realize that there is no white and black, no race: only humans. According to an New York Times article, “Poll Finds Most in U.S. Hold Dim View of Race Relations” by Kevin Sack and Megan Thee-Brenan, the election of a black president has bettered the idea of race relation. An increase of people are beginning realize that capability is not directly affected by the color of skin.

Tuesday November 4th, 2008. All across the country, eyes are fixated on television screens. Everyone waits in anticipation. The race is almost called. Then, after hours of waiting, the 47th President of the United States of America is announced and simultaneously history is made. A Black man, Barack Obama, has just been elected. However in the time leading up to the election as well as the years that would follow, Obama faces much animosity, criticism, and hatred. In the article, “The Slow Motion Lynching of President Barack Obama”, Frank Schaeffer argues that Obama is being lynched, unfairly attacked and made victim in large part to the country’s racism. Although I agree that President Barack Obama has been unjustly criticized and attacked, Schaeffer only names race as the fuel for such criticism and fails to mention other contributing factors to the lynching of the President.

Obama is the first president in America who is not Caucasian which this fact, already gave a drastic change to the United States. Therefore, this fact started to alter and drive some major changes in terms of cultures in America. One of the major changes is that colored people are now having more rights and more equalities. Racism and discriminations are started to fade away comparing to the past. Since

In many ways it could be argued that Marcus Garvey was the most significant African American civil rights leader of this time because of his role in tackling the social issues African American’s faced. He aimed to improve the lives of African Americans by encouraging them to take control of their own affairs and education. His role surrounding this issue is illustrated by his founding of the UNIA. This Universal Negro Improvement Association was an organisation dedicated to racial pride, economic self sufficiency and the formation of an independent black nation in Africa. Through this and the magazine the ‘Negro World’ he urged African Americans to be proud of their race, and argued “a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”. It has been said that through Garvey’s dedication to social improvement for his race he managed to capture the imagination of many blacks for whom the American Dream was a dirty joke.

President Obama’s victory speech and Martine Luther King’s speech are two of the most famous discourses that everybody is discussing today. The speeches are representation of racial progression, which starts from the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement to the election of the first black president in the American history. Both speeches are a symbol of hope and a new start of the upcoming changes. In fact, both speeches called for unity and inclusion to achieve the American dream. Furthermore, both occasions had loud voices echo not only in the United State, but also in the global level. Despite the similarity of Obama’s and King’s speeches in the persuasive and inspirational tones, their goals were for different purposes and audience, also the effects on the audience were different.

The election of President Obama marks the most noteworthy political accomplishment for African Americans in the United States during the post-civil rights revolution, thus bringing about a change in the country’s social and political landscape that was steeped in racial discrimination since the founding of this great nation. Because social and political conditions are subject to constant change, President Obama’s